So you are thinking about joining a beer league hockey team but you don’t know where to get started? I will help you with some helpful tips to prepare you for your first beer league hockey game.
The best way to get involved in beer league hockey is to simply go up to your local rink and ask about joining a beginners league. Hockey rinks will most likely have the beer league schedule posted online as well as some sort of contact info. Often times rinks require you to join one or two training classes like a learn to skate class and a basic hockey class. However, if you have friends in the league that can vouch for you it’s been my experience that most rinks will just allow you to join an appropriate leveled league.
Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of beer league hockey and how to be a good teammate.
How Do I Get On A Beer League Hockey Team?
Meet people in your local hockey community. The best way to meet people is to just go up to your local rink and start talking and making friends.
Talk to guys who play on teams in the bar and get to know them. Find out what the leagues are like.
Some rinks have a lot of varying skill levels while other places don’t have a very wide selection at all. One of my best buddies started playing when he lived in California and the lowest level league they had there was C league ( which is about 2-3 levels above the absolute beginner league) but they still let him join even though he clearly didn’t belong there.
The rink we play at now has about 14 different skill levels so there is a league for everybody from the brand new player who is still learning to skate all the way to ex-college players.
Talk to people at the front desk and see if you need to take any classes before joining a league. Sometimes rinks will even have a scrimmage for all new players that is observed by league managers to vet skill level.
I actually really appreciate it when rinks do this. Having a pickup game for players of all skill levels to come out and play allows the league managers to really see what level players are at. It’s been my experience that when this happens leagues are a lot more balanced. A well-balanced league is a really fun league to play in.
What Are The Different Levels Of Beer League Hockey?
Typically there are leagues A-D in most cases. A being the best and D being the entry-level. This isn’t always the case though. It totally depends on the population of the players. If there are a ton of people in your area playing hockey then there will likely be more league levels.
Example of D League Level Play
D players typically have the bare minimum basics down. They can skate, stop, and shoot. A good D-league team plays well as a team and can pass the puck around well.
C level is usually where the adults who have been playing hockey for a few years will hang out. This is usually the largest league. Where I mostly play there are 5 different C leagues. All have a slight difference in skill as well. C1 through C5, C1 being the best.
A league is made of ex-college players who used to play at a high level and even some semi-pros and Ex NHLers.
B League Hockey consists of people who played in high school and some college usually. Or those adults that have picked the game up quickly and are just naturally good.
But , as previously mentioned it depends on your player population. At the rink we play at there are 3 leagues below our D league. These leagues are novice, beginner, and beginner+. So there will be some slight differences probably but for the most part rinks will follow the A through D skill structure.
How Can An Adult Get Better At Hockey
- Go to stick and puck sessions
- Practices
- Don’t be afraid
If you are brand new to the game of hockey and are not confident in your skills the best way to get better without any pressure is to go to stick and pucks
Stick and puck sessions are basically open ice where you can go to work on skills. You can do edge work drills, shooting drills, and stick handling. Stick and puck sessions are great for getting comfortable handling the puck. You can oftentimes meet people there and start a conversation about joining a league.
Check out this post on how to become a better forward in beer league.
You can also search for local Facebook groups that practice on a regular night. When I first started playing I was lucky enough to find a group of guys that rented a sheet of ice every Tuesday night. It was late, but it was cheap and we basically shut the place down. We got 2 hours of Ice time for about $20 a player.
I’m sure your area has something similar. Don’t be intimidated if you are not that good, everybody starts somewhere and it’s actually a really good thing if you are practicing with people who are much better than you. If they are cool, they will give you pointers and help you out.
Don’t be afraid to give it your all out there. Don’t be scared or feel embarrassed when you fall. Falling means you are learning. You are finding your edges, you are skating hard. It’s a good thing to see you falling.
Don’t be scared.
How To Be A Great Beer League Hockey Teammate
- Buy Beer
- Don’t be a hot head
- Be encouraging
- Bring good locker room vibes
- Talk on the ice
Everybody appreciates an ice-cold beer in the locker room after the game. If you are the new guy and want to make a good impression get locker room beers. Your teammates will thank you.
Please don’t be a hot head on the ice. Having fun with a few chirps here and there is all part of the game but if you are always at the center of drama it starts to look bad. Nobody likes to explain to the other team in the bar about your actions over and over again. Everybody like a competitive game but don’t take it too far.
Always tell your teammates good job out there or nice shift when they are doing good things. If you notice that somebody played hard on the boards let them know you saw it. Heck even if somebody missed a wide-open pass let them know good job looking out for the open man.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against a little friendly chirp to your teammates. Locker room beer time is the perfect time for a little bit of trolling when deserved!
But, Building an encouraging atmosphere is way better and leads to a better team than if your team is full of people complaining about each other. This will usually lead to bitterness, less fun, and nobody wanting to have a beer afterward.
Try to talk as much as you can on the ice. Let guys know what you want them to do. If you have the idea that you are taking a shot all the way holler at our team to crash the net. If you are playing defense talk to your partner and let them know who you are going to take. This one thing will instantly make you a better teammate and a surprising amount of people do not do it.
Lastly, being a good locker room person is super important. Bringing the good jokes, bring some music, and just having a great attitude is worth having that person on the team. No matter what, win or loose, if you can bring some good vibes to the locker room you will be a valuable teammate.
Tips For Your First Beer League Game
You will definitely be nervous! It’s normal, go ahead and embrace that now.
You will probably mishandle the puck a few times, it’s going to be alright! Just remember that this even happens at the NHL level with star players. It’s all about how you react to the mistake. Please do not get all pissy about it and slam your stick on the ice.
Recover and skate hard.
You should not be an ice hog. Be mindful of shift times. A good shift for forwards is about 1 minute long. If you are skating hard you will be tired. If you aren’t tired after a minute on the ice then you probably aren’t skating hard enough.
On defense you can stay out a bit longer, 2 minutes is a pretty normal shift. While talking about defense, always make sure that if there is somebody in front of your net that they have a man on them. You are allowed to put your body on them and force them out from the front of the net. As long as you are not forcing the other player out of the way with your stick you are playing textbook defense.
At the beginner’s level, any bit of pressure will cause the other player to panic. Even if you aren’t the first one to the puck don’t stop skating toward the man with the puck. The sound of skates closing in on the other player will most likely cause them to want to get rid of the puck.
Try to skate with your head up as often as possible. This means also mean when the puck comes to you. I know its hard to look away from the puck when it touches your stick, you want to make sure you have it and it’s not going anywhere, but you should at least take one second to take a peak at where everybody is on the ice.
This will help your decision-making.
Don’t be afraid to shoot the puck. Too many passes will cost your scoring opportunities. A shot on net is never a bad play but a turnover in the middle of the zone is a bad play. So if you have a shot, take it.
What Gear Do I need To Start Playing Hockey?
The basic gear you will need to start playing beer league hockey is:
- Helmet
- Stick
- Gloves
- Ice Skates
- Hockey Pants
- Shin Guards
- Elbow Pads
- Shoulder Pads
- Cup
- Mouthguard
- Jock
- Hockey Bag
- Jersey
- Socks
- Stick Tape
- Clear Tape
After Buying Hockey Gear How Long Should It Last?
It’s a long list of equipment in order to get started playing the game but I would not skip any item on the list. I have played with a few people who choose not to wear shoulder pads. They say, oh it’s just beer league, there is no checking. Why do I need shoulder pads?
Well, for one, like you said it’s beer league. Some people can’t control their shots. I’m not trying to catch a puck to my bare ass sternum.
You can always find gear on sale on hockey monkey or pure hockey. For my first set of gear I just waitied around until things went on sale and got them then. It took me a few weeks to get a complete set of gear but I paid Less than the average person.
For more on what gear you should get to get started check out this post I wrote.
How Do I Get Started Playing Beer League Hockey?
The easiest way to join a beer league hockey team is to go to your closest rink and just start asking around. Check online and see if your rink has a schedule posted and go watch a game so you can get an idea of skill level for the beginner leagues.
Start asking guys at the rink about any practice time that might be available. This is how I got started.
Go to a few stick and puck sessions to not only practice your skills but to meet people that might play on leagues around there. Make a few friends and you will probably get invited to one of their teams if you guys are of a similar skill level.
Hopefully, you found these tips helpful for getting started with beer league hockey.